Tuning In To
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Gary Graff is the editor of

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MusicHound Rock: The
Essential Album Guide (Visible
Ink Press). Listen to his 'Rock
'n' Roll Insider" reports at 8:35
a.m. Thursdays on WRIF-FM
(101.1).

Former Oak Parkers Don (Was) Fagenson
and David (Was) Weiss talk about their new ventures.

GARY GRAFF SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

things up and are even "hatch-
ing a few eggs together," as
Weiss puts it.
"The bad blood has dissipat-
ed over time and been replaced
by a mutual yen for getting that
old feeling back," says Weiss,

who lives in Los Angeles with
his wife; son, 16; and daughter,
9. His father, Rubin Weiss, did
radio voices for "The Green Hor-
net" and "The Lone Ranger."
"It's like you miss your right
arm; we were a pitcher-catcher

combo. One of us got traded, but
it allowed other [stuff] to hap-
pen."
Fagenson says that the
Orquestra Was project drips of
the jazz influences Weiss
brought to Was (Not Was). Even

.

Kramer, who took part in that
album, notes that "the missing
link was David."
"It's just nice to get our friend-
ship back on track. I certainly
miss him," says Fagenson, who
lives in the Hollywood Hills with
his second wife, Virgin Records
executive Gemma Corfield and
their 3.year-old son Henry. An-
other child is due in July, and

Don Was (Fagenson): His new band,
Orquestra Was, releases a new album,
Forever's a Long, Long Time, on
Tuesday. --

MOOHSA3l39 3N1108V0 A 010Hd

he last we saw of Was
(Not Was) — the off-
beat and multifaceted
Detroit band helmed by
former Oak Parkers Don (Was)
Fagenson and David (Was)
Weiss — was not a pretty sight.
A schism between the two
childhood friends reached a head
in 1994, with the two sniping at
and about each other, mostly via
third parties. The Was Brothers,
it seemed, were living up to their
adopted name.
The good news is that Fagen-
son and Weiss only gained ca-
reer momentum. Fagenson
became one of pop and country
music's hottest producers, win-
ning Grammys and working
with a wealth of A-list artists in-
cluding the Rolling Stones, Bob
Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Seger
and Willie Nelson.
Weiss, meanwhile, did some
producing on his own (most no-
tably the "X Files" soundtrack
album) and worked on commer-
cials for Microsoft, Acura, Infin-
ti, Canon cameras and Top-Elite
golf balls.
They each have new projects
coming out in the near future,
too. On Tuesday, Fagenson's
new band, Orquestra Was, re-
leases Forever's A Long, Long
Time, a collection of Hank
Williams lyrics set to jazz and
R&B melodies that also includes
a short film starring singer
Sweet Pea Atkinson.
- Weiss, meanwhile, co-pro-
duced Citizen Wayne, the latest
album by former MC5 guitarist
Wayne Kramer, which comes
out in early May.
But the best news is that the
Was Brothers have patched

..